The Lionesses enjoyed a rare day off today as they prepare for England’s first World Cup final since 1966.
Sarina Wiegman’s side beat arch-rivals Australia 3-1 in Sydney on Wednesday to advance to their first final, where they will face Spain in an event that will be watched by millions across the country on Sunday.
Today we watched England’s heroes enjoy some very well deserved rest playing games on the beach and relaxing in cafes.
It comes as new behind-the-scenes footage of the players’ celebrations was released this morning.
In the video, Lauren Hemp, who scored England’s crucial second goal in the semi-final, is met with cheers from her teammates as she returns to the dressing room with her Player of the Match trophy.
Then she’s dragged into the middle of a circle of players, where she dances with midfielder Georgia Stanway to the sound of Marvin Gaye’s Motown classic Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.
England’s Rachel Daly is seen smiling today while holding a bat while on a beach in Australia
The squad enjoyed a day with their families, with some choosing to relax in a café on the outskirts of Sydney
England are gearing up for a historic final against Spain on Sunday, but had some rest this morning
The players enjoyed a morning on the beach to recover from Wednesday’s grueling semi-final against Australia
Another video from the side of the field shows Captain Millie Bright embracing English legend and queen of the jungle, Jill Scott, telling her, “What did you say…England never gives in!”
Previous photos showed Hemp and Ella Toone, who opened the scoring yesterday and led the jubilant scenes Down Under, as the Lionesses partied with Sweet Caroline – the Neil Diamond classic that has become something of a party song in recent tournaments.
But the focus is clearly already on the weekend, as the players were pictured with cans of Fanta and Coke, rather than champagne.
Boss Wiegman seemed particularly keen to keep the festivities under control, even against the defender Lucy Bronze stops jumping and immediately starts preparations for Sunday’s historic final.
For the players’ families and other halves, however, it was their evening to enjoy, and Ella Toone’s friend Joe Bunney – a footballer himself – led the celebrations.
He shared videos of England fans drinking and singing in an Australian bar before revealing at 3:42am how he finally called it quits.
It comes as it emerged today that the Lionesses’ battle for glory is expected to provide a £185 million boost to the UK economy as supporters flock to pubs and bars to watch.
Analysis by savings site VoucherCodes.co.uk found that 13.7 million viewers in the UK are ready to tune in to the match, with around a fifth going to their local pub, bar or restaurant to soak up the atmosphere.
Viewers could spend around £138 million in supermarkets to stock up on food, drink, merchandise and decorations ahead of the 11am kick-off, according to the report, which uses forecasts from GlobalData.
A walk in the park was the perfect recovery for some players after a physical battle with Australia on Wednesday
England’s Rachel Daly checks her phone as she relaxes on a beach ahead of Sunday’s final
The Lionesses made history by reaching England’s first World Cup final since 1966
And total spending in catering establishments could reach £47 million, the highest in the tournament, with the bulk of spending on drinks, including tea and coffee, as well as alcoholic beverages.
It would mean that consumers spend about a third more than was spewed out during the European Championship final for women last summer.
According to the British Beer and Pub Association, last year’s tournament gave a 5% boost to pint sales, with a 10% boost during England’s final against Germany.
According to VoucherCodes research, total spending for the entire World Cup is estimated at £747 million, supporting hospitality establishments and retailers across Britain.
Emma McClarkin, the CEO of the British Beer and Pub Association, said: ‘With the Lionesses roaring into the final this Sunday, pubs will be looking forward to welcoming fans to come together to cheer on England.
“Cafés are the home of live sport, with an unparalleled atmosphere and sense of community, and even if it’s broadcast from the other side of the world, this tournament is no different.”
Kate Nicholls, the chief executive of trade organization UKHospitality, said: ‘We’ve already seen venues make a huge effort for the Women’s World Cup and we expect this to go even further this Sunday, inevitably leading to a boost for hospitality businesses. .
“We all know that the best way to watch sports is in the pub, so I encourage everyone to come out en masse this Sunday to support the Lionesses.”
The Lionesses celebrated reaching their first World Cup final, and England’s first in nearly 60 years, by dancing to Sweet Caroline – but there were only sodas in sight with one more step to go on their way to glory
The team’s official Twitter account posted three behind-the-scenes images in Sydney, following a historic 3-1 victory over old rivals, Australia
England’s Mary Earps and teammates celebrate in the locker room after the win
Boss Sarina Wiegman was clearly keen to keep the festivities under control, even telling defender Lucy Bronze to stop jumping and immediately begin preparations for Sunday’s showpiece final.
However, calls for a bank holiday were quashed by the government yesterday, with Education Minister Gillian Keegan also trying to dodge the question this morning.
“Of course that’s not my decision,” she told Sky News.
“But it’s something I think… the most important thing would be to get a lot of girls playing football through this, so we always have future Lionesses available.”
Ms Keegan was also asked the question on LBC, but only spoke about the England women’s team who had previously lobbied for more equal access to sport for girls of school age.
When asked if it was “a bit of a disappointment” that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak would not be going to Australia to watch the final in person, the cabinet minister replied: “Actually, I think the Minister of Culture, Media and Sport (Lucy Frazer), I think she’s on her way now.’
It came when Bend It Like Beckham director Gurinder Chadha said that some of the lionesses said they started playing soccer after seeing the movie.
She told the Today programme: “Looking at all those headlines today makes me feel very, very, very good to be honest with you, to be a part of this history now and to know that so many women who are on today’s playing the World Cup, have started playing after watching the movie.
“When the US women’s team won the last World Cup, most of them said they only started playing after seeing the movie and some of the England players have said the same.
“I think we just made you feel like anything was possible and women playing football looked cool and powerful. And that’s what I tried to do with my film: show women with skills.
“I think what we ended up doing inspired a whole generation today who didn’t know what it was like before the idea of a woman picking up a soccer ball and being laughed at.”